January 16, 2008
Woman Dancing on the Moon
Posted by Kita Kazoo under All Posts by Kita Kazoo, Art, Happy Valley Tattoo Massacre', Kita Personal, Ministry News, Mormonism, Politics, Utah | Tags: American Fork City Government, Censorship, Civil Rights Violations, Corruption, Crime, Legal |
This painting along with my art & tattoo portfolio spent four days locked up in the evidence room at the American Fork Police Station. The search warrant gave them permission to only take photographs of pierced or tattoo genitals. As this painting is neither of these items of interest, they have illegally seized my personal property.
Upon the return of this painting my husband was warned that he should not let me display this art publicly again in Utah.
I am not one to comply with an unfair and illegal mandate by anyone - So it went back up into public view - As seen here, two days later. However, some pieces of my portfolio are still locked up in the evidence room after 15 days. I am not being investigated for or being charged with any crime. I just happened to have had my art in the studio the day they raided us.
To make a long story short, a vindictive teenager lied about us.
We do not know all of the details but we suspect it was to get her out of some fix she had gotten into around Christmas time and to get revenge on our piercer who refused her service. All we know for sure, is that her father made a complaint that she had been allowed access to clinical photographs of genital piercings in our studio. Which could only have happened when his estranged wife brought her here to get her lip pierced in April of 2007. (Even if their allegations were true, this is still not and illegal act based on the descriptions of what are obscene materials set by the Utah State Attorney Generals Office.)
To read the full story of The Happy Vally Tattoo Massacre’ go here - http://docloco.com/2008/01/11/the-happy-valley-tattoo-massacre/
The complaint was really only an excuse, as they took everything before they had even opened an investigation. In essence, my art has been taken because the local police believe that they have the right to do anything they want to, anyone they want… They are the judge, jury and executioner. There is no innocent until proven guilty - There’s just guilty and more guilty… And my husband, Doc has a tape of them telling him so.
This is not the first unfair dealings we have had with the American Fork Police Department. A detailed summary of these situations is posted here - http://docloco.com/2008/01/14/happy-valley-tattoo-massacre-part-3/
Mean while in a Salt Lake City Weekly article I read that Utah has the highest rate of online porn use in the United States. Which only confirms my suspicions, that I am a victim of American Fork’s Police Departments idea of what Utah’s ”community standards” are; which is literally HYPOCRICY!
I know that there are plenty of members of the LDS church who would disagree with their actions. Some have stopped by the shop to tell us so and some have called the police and voiced their objections.
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City of American Fork 1-801–763-3000
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Police Chief – Lance Call 1-801–763-3020
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City Attorneys - Kasey Wright (Civil) 1-801-763-3031
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Tucker Hansen (Criminal) 1-801-224-2273
Interesting enough, even though the local newspapers are aware of this situation, none have chosen to write even two words on it. Perhaps they just don’t have balls enough to writing a piece on local civil rights violations or police corruption. Perhaps they are afraid of what writing about the tattoo people in a positive light would do to their careers and/or church standing.
I am sure if they wrote anything uncomplimentary about the local ”member mafia” they would at the very least suffer a high degree of social stigma. As no one here in “Happy Valley” likes to deal with the real issues in their “kingdom”. The general attitude towards serious issues is to sweep them under the rug and pray they go away on their own.
Everything in Zion is pretty, neat and sweet… Hmmm…
Maybe they should adopt the FLDS youth motto - “Stay Sweet” (meaning to ignore problems with your leaders and comply at all costs) as their state motto?
Sorry… I digress…
Here are thumbnails of the two pieces being held captive.
You be the judge… Take a look and tell me…
Should prospective tattoo clients be subjected to such “inappropriate” pieces of art as these?
March 18, 2008 at 11:29 am
[...] ALL ART HERE HAS BEEN TAKEN AS EVIDENCE - WITHOUT A WARRENT [...]
March 23, 2008 at 1:30 pm
No Warrant? That is the solution isn’t it? They trespassed, took items into custody without a right, they violated your rights as an American!
Talk to your attorney about that - any halfway decent attorney will be able to have this thrown out of court faster than anything. All else fails - call the Howard Stern Show and he would expose the news item….
goodluck
March 23, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I am outraged that the American Fork Police would be allowed to trample the rights of law-abiding citizens, such as the proprietors of Happy Valley Tattoo establishment. There is nothing in the art work that can’t be seen in a museum. And the protection of people under the age of consent had previously been demonstrated numerous times. Therefore, it seems that the fear of some unspoken retribution in the Court of Public Opinion has caused the police to overreact, abusing the rights of artists to express themselves. One would hope that the court system will be more level-headed.
March 24, 2008 at 5:53 am
Since 9/11:
I am never surprised at the repeated idiocy coming from both state and federal branches of our (?) government. “To serve and protect” or better yet “To serve those from whom…?” is a much more correct statement. How can it be that a CHURCH run state can override constitutional law?
I was taught that as per the Constitution there exists a seperation between church and state. The pecking order doesn’t begin with the state authorities.
The Bill of Rights, Amendments to the constitution or the preamble of the U. S. Constitution have no bearing upon legal decisions made in Utah?
McCarthy held his witch hunts for some personal reason. They never did get him elected to any higher office.
At one time a group opposed the unveiling of the Picasso statue in Chicago. It was deemed to be pornographic. Intellect won out over the loudest, after all it is what it is, art.
March 25, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Thank you! I really don’t want this published with my employers name. I am sorry to hear about this. I might be considered from the extreme right religious group because I am Baptist. However, I (am very much of age + about 40 years) have about 5 tattoos and hoping to get more. Some cannot be seen with conservative clothes. I just started getting them last year!! The tattoo shops I am familiar with respond to those underage just as you have. A friend of mine was also astonished that this has happened. The tattoo shops I am familiar with are not porn shops nor do they provide adult entertainment. Louise